The
Groundwater Resources Association of California invites
you to join us for our 11th Annual Conference and
Meeting, "Sustaining Groundwater Resources: The
Critical Vision" in Newport Beach, California.
The goal of this Conference is to present local and
regional (and also a few global) groundwater management
strategies and programs that are currently being implemented
or refined to ensure reliable (sustainable) groundwater
supplies.
"Sustainability" is a broad term that ultimately conveys
a necessary goal, particularly with regard to reaching
and maintaining a long-term balance between water
supply and demand that is also protective of water
quality and mitigates the potential for undesirable
effects. However, sustainability also describes a
complex and changing water paradigm. There is an increasing
need to define and quantify critical groundwater issues
and particularly to expand our knowledge of the interrelated
nature of the components of the hydrologic system
in order to develop and implement successful, comprehensive
groundwater management programs. While the concept
of achieving long-term sustainability is seemingly
clear and desirable, economic, political and environmental
concerns, and also future social values that may differ
from those of today, make defining the specific objectives
for reaching and maintaining sustainability extraordinarily
complex and sometimes contentious.
There
are significant challenges now and in the future to
address the expanding stresses on our water resources
that are occurring through extraction, transfer, consumption,
recharge interception, and supply diversion. These
stresses dictate the need for multi-faceted groundwater
management programs that: 1) define clear management
objectives, 2) define the managed resource (i.e.,
the total water balance and flow system for the physical
conceptual model of the groundwater basin), 3) employ
comprehensive monitoring programs to gather the data
necessary to manage groundwater resources, and 4)
plan for and implement water resources management
actions such as surface and subsurface recharge, in-lieu
use, and conjunctive management to ensure water supplies
are replenished and the balance of the hydrologic
system is maintained. As pressures to meet demands
and stresses on water resources increase, the intricacy
of achieving sustainability will become more visible.
As a result, this Conference intends to broaden attendees’
awareness of the critical vision for accomplishing
sustainability through presentations provided in the
Plenary Assembly and Conference Sessions on the following
topics:
- Groundwater
as a Component of the Natural Resources Infrastructure
-
Recharge Management
-
Reclaimed Water Management
-
Sustainable Groundwater Management Strategies, Water
Supply Assessment and Optimization Strategies (including
a Panel Discussion on issues to be faced in the
next 10-20 years, SB 221 and 610, rural water management
plans, AB 3030, and Basin Management Objectives)
-
Wastewater Management and Emerging Contaminants
-
Comprehensive Approaches to Groundwater Quality
Characterization
